Parents protest, claim their son's comments were followed by "LOL" and "J/K."

On February 13, 2013, police say that a Texas 18-year-old posted the following messages to his own Facebook page:

“I’m fucked in the head alright, I think I’ma SHOOT UP A KINDERGARTEN”
“AND WATCH THE BLOOD OF THE INNOCENT RAIN DOWN”
“AND EAT THE BEATING HEART OF ONE OF THEM”

As a result, Justin Carter, now 19, is in a Texas county jail on charges of making a “terroristic threat.” Carter apparently made the remarks in response to someone who had called him “crazy” while playing League of Legends. The young gamer has been in prison since he was arrested in March 2013.

On Wednesday, Carter’s lawyer, Ivan Friedman, filed a motion seeking reduction of his bond, which currently stands at a very high $500,000. The motion also sought to suppress Carter’s statements to investigators. The defense attorney has not returned Ars’ repeated requests for comment in the case.

This week, Carter’s parents have told members of the media that their son’s comments were meant in jest and were immediately followed up by “LOL” and “J/K,” which they say show that the threats—made in New Braunfels, Texas—were not meant to be taken seriously.

Of Carter's time in prison, his father Jack told National Public Radio (NPR) on Wednesday, "Without getting into the really nasty details, he's had concussions, black eyes, [and he's been] moved four times from base for his own protection. He's been put in solitary confinement, nude, for days on end because he's depressed. All of this is extremely traumatic to this kid. This is a horrible experience."

“I was dumb”

If found guilty, Carter could be sentenced up to 10 years in prison.

"The whole situation is kind of unfortunate," Lt. John Wells, of the New Braunfels Police, told NPR. "We definitely understand the situation that Mr. Carter is in, however he made the comments, and it is an offense. We have to ... protect the general public and specifically, in this case, with it involving schoolchildren, we have to act. We take those very seriously."

Ars did obtain Carter's search warrant and arrest warrant, which show that police recovered a computer and other digital storage devices, but no weapons. According to the San Antonio Express News, Carter wrote a letter to the judge in late May in which he apologized for his comments made on Facebook.

“I was a smartass, sarcastic, a regular keyboard warrior, and I was dumb,” Carter wrote, adding that he'd gone online after work to “vent, play, laugh, and relieve stress.”

“I've learned a lot about the path I was on and I've taken steps to change it,” Carter added.